J. S. Bach’s tenure as Kapellmeister to Prince Leopold at Cöthen (1717-1722) was particularly rich in works for solo instruments – the sonatas and partitas for solo violin and suites for solo violoncello derive from this period, as well as numerous keyboard works. While Bach was in Cöthen, the great lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss was in Prague, working on a new invention with the lute maker Thomas Edlinger. This would provide lute players with two extra bass strings placed on a special contraption attached to the peg box: from now on, the lute would possess 13 courses of strings instead of the 11 (or sometimes 12) found on lutes up to this time. It is this style, epitomized by the music of Weiss and his contemporaries, which forms the model for my transformations of Bach’s harpsichord music. It is interesting to note that the Italian archlute already had this extended range since the late 16th Century, and before coming to Prague Weiss spent a number of years in Italy. The 13-course instrument by Stephen Gottlieb used in the present recording is based on the model invented by Edlinger and Weiss, and, in accordance with tradition, is entirely strung in gut.